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Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says Auckland Council needs more support from the Government to fix the city's transport woes as "March Madness" officially begins.

Today marks the official first day of the busiest time of the year on Auckland's roads, public transport and cycleways, with the chaos further exacerbated by industrial action on Auckland train services.

Auckland Council's 10-year plan proposes $11b -$12b in spending on transport, but it is estimated much more is needed to make any progress.

"We have got to really run fast, just to stand still," Goff told the Herald.

A congestion tax would only work if it was done right and publicly accepted, he said.

The funds would be spent on infrastructure, including extending busways and light rail.

"Problems that have been in the too-hard basket for too long are now being addressed," Goff said.

March Madness technically began at the beginning of this week, as about 100,000 university students started the academic year a week early and joined the city's commute.

But the dozens of festivals and events during the first month of autumn only add to the transport pressures.

The Auckland Lantern Festival, which starts tonight and runs until Sunday, is the country's largest cultural celebration by numbers.

More than 200,000 people are expected to visit Auckland Domain over the weekend to celebrate the close of Auckland's Year of the Dog celebrations.

Hundreds of lanterns will light up the Domain for the 19th annual festival to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Many roads will be closed around the Domain for the festival, and attendees are encouraged to use public transport to avoid parking problems.

The Auckland Lantern Festival starts tomorrow. Please be mindful of ambulances as Auckland City Hospital and Starship Hospital are both open and operating as normal. Find out what you need to know about stop closures & diversions here: https://t.co/Fjvp5rRs0wpic.twitter.com/yZK6UlOL6l

the various modes of transport from New Lynn to the CBD and found cycling the winner, by a long shot.

Tristram Clayton had plenty of time to spare, arriving in 41 minutes, well ahead of Alice Peacock on the bus in an hour and 6 minutes, while Brigitte Purcell took an hour and 8 minutes driving and Carla Penman an hour and 11 minutes by train.